Lewis Hamilton lifts up a baby soon after arriving at an autograph session in Japan

Hamilton was quick to give the baby back to its mother before the start of practice sessions

Hamilton takes time out to greet a fan's dog after arriving at Japan's Suzuka Circuit

Hamilton dons a yellow and black tracksuit as he makes his way into Mercedes' paddock

DRIVERS' CHAMPIONSHIP - FOLLOWING RUSSIAN GRAND PRIX

DRIVER

TEAM

WINS

POINTS

1. Lewis Hamilton

Mercedes

8

306

2. Sebastian Vettel

Ferrari

5

256

3. Valtteri Bottas

Mercedes

0

189

4. Kimi Raikkonen

Ferrari

0

186

5. Max Verstappen

Red Bull

1

158

6. Daniel Ricciardo

Red Bull

2

134

7. Kevin Magnussen

Haas

0

53

8. Nico Hulkenberg

Renault

0

53

9. Fernando Alonso

McLaren

0

50

10. Sergio Perez

Force India

0

47

11. Esteban Ocon

Force India

0

47

12. Carlos Sainz

Renault

0

38

13. Pierre Gasly

Toro Rosso

0

28

14. Romain Grosjean

Haas

0

27

15. Charles Leclerc

Sauber

0

21

16. Stoffel Vandoorne

McLaren

0

8

17. Lance Stroll

Williams

0

6

18. Marcus Ericsson

Sauber

0

6

19. Brendon Hartley

Toro Rosso

0

2

20. Sergey Sirotkin

Williams

0

1

Hamilton has won three of the last four races at Suzuka with the only other win going to his former Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg in 2016. He heads into Sunday's race having won five of the last six races.

'Lewis is hungry, focused and completely determined to succeed,' Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff said. 'It's been great to see the power he has brought to this championship, and how he has taken it to the next level.'

Hamilton's win in Sochi was overshadowed by the decision to have team-mate Valtteri Bottas pull over to let him pass. Bottas started from pole and was in position for his first win of 2018 when the decision was made by the team.

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Wolff insisted ahead of the Japanese GP that the tactic was justified.

'The battle with Ferrari remains extremely close, as was underlined by Sebastian's pace on Sunday and the pressure he put us under,' Wolff said. 'In the end, we left Sochi with a bigger lead. But we know that doesn't mean anything because our fight with Ferrari is far from being over.'

Even if Vettel wins all five remaining races, he's not guaranteed to beat Hamilton.

But Vettel, who has had his own success at Suzuka - winning four times between 2009 and 2013 - wasn't about to concede the championship.

'We need to keep pushing and try,' the Ferrari driver said. 'Who knows what will happen in the next races.'

The Brit sits in a Mercedes car as he makes his way around a track he has had great success on

Fans show their support for Hamilton as they prepare to watch the Brit in action this weekend

Hamilton looked happy to be back in Japan as he looks to put a tighter grip on the F1 title

Meanwhile, Red Bull's Max Verstappen will be looking to follow up on his impressive showing in Russia.

On his 21st birthday, Verstappen started 19th but charged through the field to finish fifth.

It was another dramatic drive from Verstappen, who over four seasons has firmly established himself as F1's most aggressive and exciting racer, but has never had a car capable of a true title challenge.

Verstappen has fond memories of the Suzuka circuit, having made his F1 debut here by taking part in the first free practice at the 2014 Japanese GP.